Luyanda's father Sibusiso Emanuel Tshabalala told police he had been sleeping in his car after dropping his son off for evening classes at the school on Tuesday. He was woken by knocking on the window and‚ thinking he was in danger‚ discharged his firearm‚ hitting his son on the upper body.

When Tshabalala appeared in court on Thursday‚ his affidavit was read out.

In it‚ he said that after firing the weapon‚ Luyanda said: "Daddy‚ it's me."

He got out of the vehicle‚ went to his son and then rushed his son to get medical help but there was nothing that could be done to save his life.

"This is my first accident and a painful one‚" he tearfully told the court. He said the incident would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Tshabalala‚ 51‚ is employed as a security officer at the vehicle unit of the South African Police Service in Krugersdorp.

A memorial service was held on Friday June 8, 2018 at the Fred Norman Secondary School for Luyanda Tshabalala, the teenager who was allegedly accidentally shot by his father.

Following news of the teenager’s death‚ one of Luyanda’s teachers‚ Kurwyn Adams‚ took to Facebook to pen a moving tribute about how he would miss having him in his class.

"You had your life planned out every step of the way‚ with purpose and commitment demonstrated through every decision and action you made‚” he wrote.

“You respected your elders‚ your teachers‚ your friends and‚ most importantly‚ yourself. That smile right there was a permanent part of your life. You believed in education‚ and what it could do for you‚ and through that it motivated me beyond my inspiration to be a better teacher.”

He said Luyanda had transcended from a learner to a brother.

"Man‚ I am going to miss our constructive arguments in class‚ and the joy you had in correcting me when you thought I made a mistake. You transcended from a learner to someone I could deem my brother. You contributed tremendously to the school and moreover to every person you came into contact with‚" Adams said.

“You will live on‚ not because of your name or the situation but because of your heart."

The school‚ which posted on Facebook that Luyanda was deputy chairperson of its representative council of learners‚ described him as a "remarkable young man".